Electroplating basket

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is an electroplating basket, including: a basket member of which one surface facing a subject to be plated is formed in a mesh structure; and a blind member combined with one surface of the basket member and including a plurality of shielding plates capable of being independently opened or closed depending on region.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0098828, filed on Sep. 6, 2012, entitled “Electroplating Basket”, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety into this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to an electroplating basket.

2. Description of the Related Art

Currently, with respect to printed circuit boards of various structures, including Patent Document 1, patterned plating thickness becomes varied as the specification thereof requested by customers becomes varied. In order to secure reliability, the plating thickness tends to request a target having a larger thickness than the existing targets.

However, a dry film has a fixed thickness, and therefore, as the plating thickness becomes larger, various defects including non-delamination and the like occur under the method of forming a semi additive process (SAP) circuit using a dry film.

Meanwhile, when plating deviation is generated due to product design in flip chip products, plating growth occurs on the dry film, and thus a non-delamination defect occurs in a dry film strip process, which is a subsequent process.

In addition, when the plating thickness is large, a solder resist (SR) copper appearance defect due to the lowest limit of a solder resist thickness or a bump height defect due to SR thickness deviation is generated in an SR process and a bump process.

In order to overcome defects that may be generated in subsequent processes, first, the need for maximally improving plating deviation in a pattern copper plating process is on the rise.

A plating basket applied for a plating process is used to perform plating by making a plating ion flow into a plating region. Here, the plating ion flowing out from the plating basket does not stably arrive at a subject to be plated, which may cause the plating deviation as described above.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENT

(Patent Document 1) US 2006-0191709 A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in an effort to provide an electroplating basket capable of improving plating deviation of a subject to be plated at the time of plating.

According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an electroplating basket, including: a basket member of which one surface facing a subject to be plated is formed in a mesh structure; and a blind member combined with one surface of the basket member and including a plurality of shielding plates capable of being independently opened or closed depending on region.

The blind member may be formed in a vertical blind structure where the plurality of shielding plates are capable of being opened or closed based on a vertical axis.

The blind member may be formed in a structure where the plurality of shielding plates are capable of being opened or closed based on a horizontal axis.

The blind member may be formed to correspond to a size of one surface of the basket member.

The blind member may further include a shielding frame fixing the plurality of shielding plates, the blind member being combined with the plurality of shielding plates to allow the plurality of shielding plates to be opened or closed, respectively.

The blind member may further include shield controlling members formed at regions corresponding to the plurality of shielding plates of the shielding frame, respectively, the shield controlling members controlling opening or closing degrees of the plurality of shielding plates, respectively.

Here, an upper surface of the basket member may have an opened structure for inputting plating balls into the basket member.

According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an electroplating basket, including: a basket member for inputting plating balls thereinto; and a blind member combined with one surface of the basket member and including a plurality of shielding plates capable of being independently opened or closed depending on region.

The blind member may further include a shielding frame fixing the plurality of shielding plates, the blind member being combined with the plurality of shielding plates to allow the plurality of shielding plates to be opened or closed, respectively.

The blind member may further include shield controlling members formed at regions corresponding to the plurality of shielding plates of the shielding frame, respectively, the shield controlling members controlling opening or closing degrees of the plurality of shielding plates, respectively.

The blind member may be formed in a vertical blind structure where the plurality of shielding plates are capable of being opened or closed based on a vertical axis.

The blind member may be formed in a structure where the plurality of shielding plates are capable of being opened or closed based on a horizontal axis.

Here, one surface of the basket member may be formed in a mesh structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view showing a structure of an electroplating basket according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view specifically showing a basket member according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a view specifically showing a blind member according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a current distribution according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted. Further, in the following description, the terms “first”, “second”, “one side”, “the other side” and the like are used to differentiate a certain component from other components, but the configuration of such components should not be construed to be limited by the terms. Further, in the description of the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the related art would obscure the gist of the present invention, the description thereof will be omitted.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

Electroplating Basket

FIG. 1 is a view showing a structure of an electroplating basket according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a view specifically showing a basket member according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a view specifically showing a blind member according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a current distribution according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an electroplating basket 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention may include: a basket member 110, of which one surface 111 facing a subject to be plated 200 is formed in a mesh structure; and a blind member 120 combined with one surface of the basket member 110 and including a plurality of shielding plates 121, 121 a, 121 b, 121 c, 121 d, . . . (hereinafter, designated as the reference numeral 121) capable of being independently opened or closed depending on region.

The subject to be plated may be a printed circuit board, but is not limited thereto.

Plating described in the preferred embodiment of the present invention means electroplating, and the electroplating basket 100 is defined to mean one that is used in electroplating.

In addition, the basket member 110 is a basket into which plating balls are inputted. The basket member 110 becomes an anode (positive (+) electrode) when inputted into a plating bath (not shown). Here, the plating ball may be a copper (Cu) ball.

As shown in FIG. 3, the blind member 120 may be formed in a vertical blind structure where a plurality of shielding plates 121 are capable of being opened or closed based on a vertical axis.

Although not shown, the blind member 120 may be formed in a structure where the plurality of shielding plates 121 are capable of being opened or closed based on a horizontal axis, but is not limited thereto.

For example, according to the need of an operator, the blind member 120 may be formed in a structure where the plurality of shielding plates 121 are capable of being opened or closed based on a diagonal axis.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the blind member 120 may be formed to correspond to a size of one surface of the basket member 110.

The sizes of the above-described blind member 120 and basket member 110 may be determined in consideration of the size of the subject to be plated 200.

In addition, the blind member 120 may further include a shielding frame 123 fixing the plurality of shielding plates 121. The plurality of shielding plates 121 are combined with the shielding frame 123 such that they each are capable of being opened or closed.

As shown in FIG. 3, upper and lower portions of each of the plurality of shielding plates 121 are fixed to the shielding frame 123. Here, only a portion of an upper surface and a portion of a lower surface of each of the plurality of shielding plates 121 are combined with the shielding frame 123 so that the shielding plates 121 are capable of being opened or closed.

The above-described combination structure may be changed according to the axis based on which the plurality of shielding plates 121 are opened or closed.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the blind member 120 may further include a shield controlling members 130 formed at regions corresponding to the plurality of shielding plates 121 of the shielding frame 123, respectively, and control opening or closing degrees of the plurality of shielding plates 121, respectively.

As the shield controlling member 130, any shield controlling member may be used without limitation as long as the shield controlling member 130 is formed to match with each of the plurality of shielding plates 121 to control the opening or closing degree thereof, and for example, a screw and the like may be used.

As shown in FIG. 2, an upper surface of the basket member 110 may have an opened structure in order to input the plating balls (not shown) thereinto.

Referring to FIG. 4, as for the basket member 110 of the electroplating basket 100 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, only one surface thereof facing the subject to be plated 200 is formed in a mesh structure, and thus the plating balls (for example, copper balls) melt and leak out only through one surface of the basket member 110 so that the plating ions (for example, copper ions) escape to thereby achieve uniform plating on the entire surface of the subject to be plated 200.

More specifically, at the time of plating, the copper ions are reduced in a copper electroplating bath to be deposited on a substrate. The copper ions are dissolved from the copper balls, which is a positive (+) electrode, and then deposited on the substrate, which is a negative (−) electrode.

However, since the entire surface of the existing electroplating basket are formed to have an opened structure, the plating ions escape from one surface of the electroplating basket facing the subject to be plated as well as the other surface thereof, and thus the copper ions are lost. The lost copper ions react with oxygen and then sink as a precipitate in the plating bath.

The precipitate that sinks on the bottom flows due to circulation of the plating bath, and thus, the precipitate is attached onto a surface of the substrate during the plating procedure, resulting in Cu nodule defects, or flows into a micro via, resulting in open defects.

In addition, since the entire surface of the existing electroplating basket is opened, current concentrates at an outer portions of the substrate, which may cause a plating deviation phenomenon at a certain region of the subject to be plated 200.

Whereas, it is anticipated that the electroplating basket 100 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention forms a uniform plating thickness due to the basket member 110 of which only one surface facing the subject to be plated 200 has a mesh structure.

That is, since the entire surface of the above-described existing electroplating basket is opened due to the mesh structure thereof, a large amount of plating ions escape from a surface thereof except for the surface thereof facing the subject to be plated, and thus, plating is performed concentrating at the edge region of the subject to be plated, so that the plating thickness is in a non-uniform state.

Whereas, as for the electroplating basket 100 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, only one surface thereof facing the subject to be plated 200 is opened in a mesh structure so that the plating ions escape through only one surface thereof, and thus the plating ions are not deposited concentrating at the specific region of the subject to be plated 200, resulting in a uniform plating thickness.

In addition, the electroplating basket 100 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention can prevent excessive dissolution of plating ions (for example, copper ions) and form a uniform current distribution in a plating bath, thereby preventing post process defects that may occur due to the plating deviation.

In addition, since the electroplating basket 100 according to the present invention has the blind member 120 for controlling the flow of the plating ions depending on region, the amount of plating ions (for example, copper ions) depending on region can be controlled depending on the need of the operator, and thus the plating amount can be easily controlled.

More specifically, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the shield controlling members 130 are capable of controlling the opening or closing degrees of the plurality of shielding plates 121, respectively, and therefore, in order to restrict or increase the flowing of the plating ions into a specific region of the subject to be plated 200 depending on the need of the operator, it is possible to control the plating amount by controlling the opening or closing degrees of corresponding shielding plates 121.

In addition, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a non-delamination defect due to excessive plating can be fundamentally solved by the improved plating deviation in the process of a dry film delamination process, which is a post process, thereby securing a stable yield.

In addition, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a bump height defect or the like that may occur in a post process can be solved by the improved plating deviation.

In addition, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, since the uniformity of the copper plating thickness is secured, the flash etching deviation can be improved, so that a fine circuit can be realized.

As set forth above, the electroplating basket according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention can finely control the shielding region by giving a shielding function to the positive (+) electrode itself, and thus a uniform plating thickness can be obtained.

Further, according to the present invention, excessive dissolution of copper ions can be prevented in a pattern copper plating process, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost.

Further, according to the present invention, the excessively dissolved copper ions can be prevented from reacting with oxygen in the plating bath and thus from sinking as a copper oxide precipitate, and preventing liquid ageing due to the precipitation as well as a via non-plated defect that may occur due to deposition of the precipitate on a substrate, which is a subject to be plated.

Further, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the separate existing shielding plate can be omitted, thereby saving production cost.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, it will be appreciated that the present invention is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Accordingly, any and all modifications, variations or equivalent arrangements should be considered to be within the scope of the invention, and the detailed scope of the invention will be disclosed by the accompanying claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An electroplating basket, comprising: a basket member of which one surface facing a subject to be plated is formed in a mesh structure; and a blind member combined with one surface of the basket member and including a plurality of shielding plates capable of being independently opened or closed depending on region.
 2. The electroplating basket as set forth in claim 1, wherein the blind member is formed in a vertical blind structure where the plurality of shielding plates are capable of being opened or closed based on a vertical axis.
 3. The electroplating basket as set forth in claim 1, wherein the blind member is formed in a structure where the plurality of shielding plates are capable of being opened or closed based on a horizontal axis.
 4. The electroplating basket as set forth in claim 1, wherein the blind member is formed to correspond to a size of one surface of the basket member.
 5. The electroplating basket as set forth in claim 1, wherein the blind member further includes a shielding frame fixing the plurality of shielding plates, the blind member being combined with the plurality of shielding plates to allow the plurality of shielding plates to be opened or closed, respectively.
 6. The electroplating basket as set forth in claim 5, wherein the blind member further includes shield controlling members formed at regions corresponding to the plurality of shielding plates of the shielding frame, respectively, the shield controlling members controlling opening or closing degrees of the plurality of shielding plates, respectively.
 7. The electroplating basket as set forth in claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the basket member has an opened structure for inputting plating balls into the basket member.
 8. An electroplating basket, comprising: a basket member for inputting plating balls thereinto; and a blind member combined with one surface of the basket member and including a plurality of shielding plates capable of being independently opened or closed depending on region.
 9. The electroplating basket as set forth in claim 8, wherein the blind member further includes a shielding frame fixing the plurality of shielding plates, the blind member being combined with the plurality of shielding plates to allow the plurality of shielding plates to be opened or closed, respectively.
 10. The electroplating basket as set forth in claim 9, wherein the blind member further includes shield controlling members formed at regions corresponding to the plurality of shielding plates of the shielding frame, respectively, the shield controlling members controlling opening or closing degrees of the plurality of shielding plates, respectively.
 11. The electroplating basket as set forth in claim 8, wherein the blind member is formed in a vertical blind structure where the plurality of shielding plates are capable of being opened or closed based on a vertical axis.
 12. The electroplating basket as set forth in claim 8, wherein the blind member is formed in a structure where the plurality of shielding plates are capable of being opened or closed based on a horizontal axis.
 13. The electroplating basket as set forth in claim 8, wherein one surface of the basket member is formed in a mesh structure. 